Lobbying just isn't what it used to be

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CORRECTION

A front-page story Monday about lobbying incorrectly said how many legislators attended meetings hosted by the N.C. State AFL-CIO. At least 79 legislators attended.

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In the past, lobbyists at the telecom giant Sprint threw a rollicking "beach party" for legislators with drinks, seafood and a beach band. This year, it was a reception with a pianist and a motivational speaker.

In the old days, lobbyists at the N.C. Academy of Trial Lawyers held intimate dinners with lawmakers at a fancy downtown Raleigh restaurant. This year, the academy held a two-hour drop-in social at its office off Wade Avenue for the entire legislature.

A year ago, the N.C. Association of Electric Cooperatives gave Carolina Hurricanes tickets to lawmakers and entertained senators and House members in a suite at the RBC Center.

Not this year.

"You haven't looked down in the hockey box and seen any legislators, have you?" association lobbyist Jay Rouse asked rhetorically.

Lobbyists and special interests used to spend money on lawmakers as they tried to shape or scrap laws. It was an often hidden part of the legislative process. But that is changing.

For the first time in years, lobbyists are filing public reports that disclose how they spend money on legislators. The reports show new details on how some conduct their business, but they also reflect a changing culture -- the result of rules passed in the past two years that opened up lobbying to new scrutiny.

The new rules put an end to many of the expensive dinners, sports tickets, golf trips and other perks that lobbyists provided to lawmakers and altered the types of events organizations put on.

News reports of wining and dining, coupled with efforts by public interest groups concerned about undue influence, brought about some of the increased disclosure. Scandals surrounding former House Speaker Jim Black, who often relied on special interest lobbyists to pick up his tabs, also led to many of the prohibitions.

Entertaining dwindles

Bob Phillips, executive director for Common Cause North Carolina, a nonpartisan public interest group that fought for changes, said the new rules have discouraged the coziness lawmakers had with lobbyists who spent money wining and dining.

"You hear anecdotally that people are not doing that as much," Phillips said. "I hear from lawmakers that they aren't doing it as much, or they go to the K&W [Cafeteria] as opposed to a more expensive restaurant."

In the past, much of the entertaining went unreported because lobbyists said it did not influence any specific legislation.

It was called "goodwill" lobbying.

The new rules require more reporting of that type of spending. They also restrict what legislators can participate in, limiting them to educational meetings and food and drinks "for immediate consumption."

Former Speaker Dan Blue, a Raleigh Democrat who is back as a member of the House after a few years of lobbying and tending to his law practice, has noticed a difference.

"You don't see the members all hanging around with the lobbyists at the end of the legislative day," he said. "They are more apt now to be eating and spending time with each other."

A new climate

Records show that of the more than 700 registered lobbyists in North Carolina, only a few reported spending on legislators in February, the first full month of the new legislative session.

The reports cover only February and about a week in January. They are far from a complete picture of the lobbying efforts that will be under way once legislators take up more issues in coming months. Reports covering March activity are not due for three weeks.